


Perfect Planning, Perfect Timing

by YeosangHandHolder



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Crushes, Cuddling & Snuggling, Cute Ending, Falling In Love, Feelings Realization, Fluff, Getting Together, Holding Hands, Hugs, Love Confessions, M/M, Not Beta Read, Side Yungi, it mightve been just one honestly, rated teen because im pretty sure i wrote a few swear words, who knows? definitely not me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-22
Updated: 2020-02-22
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:54:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22852810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YeosangHandHolder/pseuds/YeosangHandHolder
Summary: Seonghwa has a crush on a certain someone.He came up with a plan to deal with it.It was a genius plan, everything about it was perfect… in theory.Actually, he only knew the first and last steps of that plan.But really, in reality, nothing ever really goes according to plan.
Relationships: Jeong Yunho/Song Mingi, Kang Yeosang/Park Seonghwa
Comments: 6
Kudos: 130





	Perfect Planning, Perfect Timing

**Author's Note:**

> im incredibly soft for yeosang and want to hold his hand but i cant. solution? write about him holding other peoples hands
> 
> hopefully the formatting didn't get messed up this time

Being the oldest meant Seonghwa had a lot of responsibility in the group. Mainly just making sure the other members didn’t kill each other over another ramen incident. Basically, there was always something he had to deal with, even on their days off. Hongjoong obviously has the same responsibilities as him, but sometimes he would have even more on his plate, so Seonghwa doesn’t like to ask him for help if he didn’t need to.

Besides, he couldn’t really ask Hongjoong for romantic advice anyway. They’ve both had about the same experience when it comes to relationships, so he just had to do this blindly.

However, he had a plan. It was a genius plan, the steps, the timing for each step, everything about it was perfect… in theory. In reality, he only knew the first and last steps of that plan.

\--

The first step of his plan was to do some questioning and observing.

“Hey Hongjoong?” He asked one night, knowing Hongjoong wouldn’t be asleep. “Any of the members come to you with any… romantic issues recently?”

“Romantic issues?” Hongjoong narrowed his eyes. “I’ve heard nothing. Why? They’ve been asking you advice?”

Seonghwa shook his head. “No, I’m just curious, I suppose.”

“Mhm…” He didn’t sound convinced. “Well, they might not have any, but if you have any romantic issues you can vent to me.”

“Might have to…” He muttered to himself. “Yeah, of course. Thanks.”

Hongjoong didn’t mention how suspicious that sounded.

\--

Seonghwa watched the members more intently than usual. Even just during casual things like watching a movie or breaks during practice. He had a constant eye out, trying to see what their normal behavior was, and if there was anything different from the norm.

Wooyoung sat next to him during one of his observation sessions.

“What’s with all the staring?” He asked.

“I’m learning your behaviors so the fans won’t know if I replace you with clones.” He had that response planned out for a while.

Wooyoung laughed, then calmed himself. “Nice one, but seriously. What’s up?”

“I don’t really know how to explain it. You’ll see in a couple of weeks though. Hopefully.”

Wooyoung looked in the exact same direction Seonghwa had his eyes pointing. He noticed something.

“Hmm… I think I get it. Are you gonna ask me to do spy work or something? Casually interrogate-”

“Shhh!” Seonghwa shushed him. “Don’t blow my cover.”

“Yeah, yeah.” He stood up. “Well, I’ll let you know if I learn anything.”

\--

Either Wooyoung hadn’t learned anything or he was just really good at hiding it. Either way, Seonghwa had enough of step one.

Step two was to… uh…

Maybe he didn’t actually have a step two.

That’s fine. Perfectly fine. He could totally just wing it. That’s how everyone else did it, right?

He sighed.

He got a sigh in response.

“Seonghwa, what is up with you?” Hongjoong asked. He sounded genuinely concerned.

He contemplated telling him. He didn’t want him to mention it to the others or to make fun of him.

No, Hongjoong wouldn’t do that.

“Don’t tell the other members, but… I maybe sorta might have a bit of a crush on someone.”

“Yeah, no shit.”

“Hey, I’m serious! I’m like, actually kinda worried about this.”

“Why are you so worried? Just tell the person.”

Seonghwa whispered something.

“What?”

“It’s…” He got too quiet to hear again.

Hongjoong sighed. “Seriously, you need to speak up.”

“It’s Yeosang.”

Even though he spoke barely loud enough for Hongjoong to hear, he covered his mouth as if to make sure no one else could hear what he said.

Hongjoong didn’t say anything for a second. Seonghwa was worried he messed up just by saying he liked Yeosang.

Then…

“That explains a lot.”

“Ah, I’m embarrassed now. Go to sleep and forget I told you!”

“Don’t worry too much about it. I’ll let you know if I hear anything you might wanna know.”

“...Thank you.”

Seonghwa decided step two would be to tell someone how he feels, and now he has successfully completed that step.

Tomorrow, onto step three.

\--

Step three was about as much of a blur as step two initially was.

However, one day, after practice, Yunho approached Seonghwa and asked him to stay behind after the others had left. Seonghwa agreed, of course. He could tell it was important.

“What was it you needed to talk about?”

Yunho took a deep breath. “I’ll get right to the point. I need advice because I think I have a crush on Mingi.”

“Really?” Seonghwa acted surprised. “Well, thank you for telling me, but what sort of advice do you even need from me?”

“I uh… wanna be sure of my feelings before I try to go any further. How am I supposed to know if I like him like that for sure?”

“I mean, I feel like if you have to ask that’s a pretty good sign. But other than that, I’ve seen the way you look at him when he isn’t looking. You look absolutely entranced by him.”

Yunho’s ears got red like they always did when he gets flustered. “Ah, really? I haven’t noticed myself…”

“You’re so obvious. And somehow you always look away when he looks at you. Also, you tend to be really clingy with him, but he’s really clingy with you too.”

“...Do you think he might like me too?”

“Honestly, there’s no way to tell for sure unless someone were to ask him. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not telling you to just suddenly ask if he likes you. He’d probably panic and say no even if he did. Try to be… casual. Maybe see how he reacts to romantic things around you.”

Yunho hugged Seonghwa suddenly.

“Thank you. That actually really helped.” He let go. “Should we get going now before the others start to worry?”

Seonghwa agreed, following Yunho out.

He kept thinking of the advice he gave. It didn’t seem like much at all, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized it was useful in his own situation too.

Step three, get some decent advice, completed.

\--

“Do you think Mingi likes Yunho?”

Seonghwa was sitting on the couch with Yeosang, the two of them doing their own things. Seonghwa was not expecting such a strange question.

“They’re best friends, so I sure hope he would like him.”

Yeosang rolled his eyes. “Not like that. I mean romantically. They’re both so affectionate to everyone but it feels like its enhanced when they’re together.”

“Maybe you should ask him.”

“Maybe I will.” He paused for a second. “Who knows, maybe I’ll find out about everyone’s love interests.”

Seonghwa laughed, but on the inside he was worried. What would happen if Yeosang asked him if he liked anyone? Loved anyone?

Step four, come up with a convincing lie.

\--

“Jeonghan? From Seventeen?” Yeosang asked.

Seonghwa nodded a little too enthusiastically. 

Okay, so maybe his idea of a convincing lie was to just say whatever idol came into his head when Yeosang asked him if he liked anyone. Everyone had a celebrity crush, so it only made sense.

“Well, he is attractive,” Yeosang agreed. “Hmm… you know, I’ve seen some people say recently that I sort of look a bit like him. What do you think?”

Without even thinking, Seonghwa responded.

“You’re prettier.”

Yeosang immediately became flustered, covering his face with his hands while giggling cutely. Seonghwa wouldn’t be lying if he said that was the most beautiful thing he had seen all week.

Step four, hopefully complete.

\--

Was Seonghwa going to come up with a step five? Who knows. Certainly not him. He decided to get some advice from Hongjoong. He realized how thankful he was to share a room with him.

“So you told him you have a celebrity crush on Jeonghan, but then you told him he’s prettier.”

“My brain malfunctioned. I panicked. He… He’s beautiful.”

“You know, I think this is more than just a crush you have.”

Seonghwa didn’t say anything. He had thought about this, but he wasn’t sure if he was ready to realize it.

“Seonghwa, are you in love?”

“...Maybe I am.”

Hongjoong sighed. “You need to tell him eventually. You’re gonna torture yourself if you keep it hidden like this, especially since it’s clear your feelings are growing.”

“When’d you get so wise?”

“When you started coming to me for advice.”

Seonghwa rolled his eyes, but then he sighed. “I know you’re right. I have a plan. Sort of. I’m at step five right now. The last step is to tell him how I feel.”

“Really? So what exactly is step five?”

“Um… Realize how intense my feelings really are?”

“Ah I see, you have no idea what you’re doing.”

“Hey! I had the first step figured out and I know what the last step will be. I’m not doing this completely blind.”

“Right, right…”

“You’ll see. A couple weeks from now, I bet.”

Step five, complete, thanks to Hongjoong.

\--

It was a quiet night in the dorms. Hongjoong, Wooyoung, and San decided to go out to see a movie despite how late it was. At least they didn’t have anything to do tomorrow.

Seonghwa was lying in his bed, scrolling through Twitter on his phone. The time read 10:40. The members probably wouldn’t be back for another hour or so. He wanted to sleep, but he also wanted to make sure they all got back safely.

There was a knock on his door.

“Come in,” He called out.

The door opened to reveal Yeosang. He looked ready for bed.

Seonghwa put his phone down. “What’s up?”

“Can I sleep in here with you? It felt a bit too quiet in my room.”

Seonghwa was surprised by the question. “Of course, but uh… why’d you choose to come to me?”

“I had a feeling you wouldn’t be asleep.”

“You know me well. Come on in.”

Seonghwa moved over to make room for Yeosang, who gladly lied down next to him. Yeosang put an arm over him.

“You look tired,” Yeosang observed. “Go to sleep.”

“Yeah, I should. I just…”

“I know it’s natural for you to worry, but they’ll be fine. They always are.”

Seonghwa wasn’t sure if he imagined it or not, but it felt like Yeosang pulled him in closer.

“Get some rest, Seonghwa.”

“Mm… Didn’t you say you came in here cause it was too quiet? And you knew I’d be awake? It’ll be pretty quiet if I fall asleep.”

“Maybe I just wanted to make sure you slept.”

“Why, you sneaky…” He yawned.

Yeosang also yawned. “Goodnight.”

When Hongjoong got back to the dorm and saw inside his room, he decided to sleep on the couch instead.

\--

Step six, ask Yeosang on a date.

“A date?” Hongjoong asked.

“Well, not exactly a date… more like just hang out with him, buy him dinner, stuff like that. It’s not a date.”

“Sounds like a date to me. When are you gonna ask him?”

“Soon. Don’t worry about it.”

\--

It took him a week.

He struggled for a week to try and figure out a way to ask Yeosang on a date without saying the word date.

And when he did ask…

“Oh, sorta like a date?” Yeosang asked.

“Ha, I guess so,” He managed to respond with an awkward laugh.

Either way, step six complete, step seven, have a successful date, begun.

\--

The date started with the two of them going out to a nice restaurant to eat. It wasn’t overly fancy or expensive, but it wasn’t somewhere they usually went to.

Yeosang was a bit unsure of Seonghwa paying for all of it, but Seonghwa insisted that it was his treat. He wouldn’t even let Yeosang put his hand near his wallet.

After they ate they decided to go for a walk through the park. The sun was just beginning to set, making the park look even more beautiful than it naturally did.

Somewhere between leaving the restaurant and going to the park the two of them began holding hands. Seonghwa screamed on the inside.

They sat down on a bench that had a nice view when Yeosang’s phone began to ring. Seeing it was Mingi, he decided to put it on speaker.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Yeosang. I know you’re out with Seonghwa but I have something important to tell you.” He sounded like he was holding back laughter. He cleared his throat dramatically before continuing. “I love you.”

Seonghwa couldn’t help but flinch. It was pretty obvious he was joking, but the delivery was too good.

Yeosang rolled his eyes. “Who dared you to do this?”

“What do you mean? I’m doing this of my own free will. I’m totally not being dared by Yunho to say this!”

“Ah, of course it’s Yunho. You’re whipped for him. Seriously, just tell him already.”

“Tell me what?” Yunho was heard.

Oh. Mingi had them on speaker too.

“Wait, Mingi likes Yunho?” Seonghwa whispered, still loud enough for the two on the phone to hear. “Yunho told me before that he likes Mingi…”

“Wait, really?” The other three all said at the same time.

“I uh, I’ll talk to you guys later,” Mingi said before hanging up.

Seonghwa and Yeosang stared at the phone.

“Did we just… get them together?” Seonghwa asked.

“I guess we’ll see when we get back, huh?” Yeosang shrugged.

“Yeah…” He sighed. “Imagine if that’s how easy relationships were for everyone.”

“You got a crush on someone too? Why not tell the lovely Yeosang who it is?” He teased.

Seonghwa laughed. “Nah, don’t worry about it, it’ll work out eventually, I hope.”

Yeosang nodded, scooting a little closer to Seonghwa. Their hands were still intertwined. Neither seemed to want to let go.

They stayed there for about almost half an hour before they decided they should head back to the dorm. The sun had fully set and the park was completely empty, and it was starting to get chilly.

When they entered the dorm, they weren’t surprised to find Yunho and Mingi cuddled up together on the couch. Mingi looked at Yeosang.

“If this went badly I would’ve told Seonghwa about your crush,” He teased.

“Shut up,” He snapped back. He then shook his head. “Sorry, that sounded really aggressive.”

Seonghwa felt his heart drop.

“You have a crush on someone?”

Yeosang shook his head again, more as an attempt to clear it than to deny the statement. “Don’t worry about it. It’s not important.”

Yeosang went to his and Wooyoung’s room. Seonghwa stood in the same spot, frozen.

Step seven, have a successful date, complete..?

\--

Seonghwa respected Yeosang’s privacy, but he was so curious about who he could possibly like. He spent countless times wondering. Was it another member? Another idol? Him?

Every time he thought that Yeosang might like him, his heart skipped a beat. He wished he would just tell him. Although, he wasn’t exactly telling him his feelings either. If Yeosang did like him, they were at a stalemate.

Yeosang acted like Mingi never mentioned anything about a crush, so Seonghwa didn’t bring it up either, no matter how much he wanted to know. He knew better than to bring up something that he clearly didn’t want to talk about. If he did want to talk, he’d let him do it on his own free will.

But now Seonghwa had an idea for step eight: find out who Yeosang likes. If it wasn’t him, he would stop his plan. He didn’t want to make Yeosang uncomfortable. But if he couldn’t find out, or if he finds out it’s him… it’s onto step nine. The final step in his plan.

\--

“Seonghwa, do you like anyone?” Jongho asked him suddenly as the two set the table for dinner.

“Huh? Why do you ask?”

“Well… ever since the Mingi and Yunho situation I’ve been wondering if anyone else is hiding something.”

“And let me guess, you think you’ll get answers because you’re the baby of the group?”

“Exactly.”

Seonghwa laughed. “Of course. Well, if you really wanna know, I may like someone, but you won’t get to know who it is.”

Jongho nodded thoughtfully. “Alright. But I’ll find out eventually.”

“Yeah, we’ll see about that.”

\--

Seonghwa was in his room when he heard voices come from the hallway. He couldn’t make out what they were saying, but he was pretty sure it was Yeosang and Jongho talking. He walked up to the door and was about to open it when he heard Yeosang speak.

“Either way, it’s just a crush. If he doesn’t like me back I’ll get over it. I won’t fall in love if there’s no chance of anything happening.”

Seonghwa decided to go back to what he was doing instead.

\--

Wooyoung and San kept looking at Seonghwa and Yeosang weirdly when they were together. Seonghwa knew Wooyoung figured out early on that he likes Yeosang, so he assumes he told San, either on accident or entirely on purpose, he had no idea. It made Seonghwa feel like he could accidentally let his secret slip at any moment. It was terrifying.

The two stared more when Yeosang and Seonghwa held hands. It’s something they’ve been doing more recently, ever since the date. Seonghwa kept feeling Yeosang brush his hands against his until he grabbed it and intertwined their fingers.

He wanted to believe all of this meant something.

\--

Mingi approached Yeosang and Seonghwa who were both sitting on the couch while on their phones. “Hey, you two should come out to dinner with me and Yunho tonight.”

“...You want us to accompany you on your date?” Yeosang questioned.

“It sounds weird when you say it like that. I was thinking more along the lines of a double date.”

Seonghwa almost choked on his own spit. He definitely didn’t expect him to say that.

“You know we’re not dating, right?” Seonghwa managed to reply, attempting to make his tone sound humorous to play it off as a joke.

Mingi groaned. “Come on, you guys know what I mean. Just come with us. It’ll be fun.”

They couldn’t say no to Mingi.

The four of them went out to a nice but not very well known restaurant. They sat at a booth, Yunho and Mingi on one side and Yeosang and Seonghwa on the other. Yunho and Mingi sat as close together as they possibly could. Seonghwa couldn’t help but imagine him and Yeosang like that.

He put a hand on top of Yeosang’s thigh, as a way to test the waters. Yeosang looked at his hand, but didn’t flinch or push it away.

They soon ordered and got their meals. It wasn’t busy at all, so it was quick. Although Seonghwa had to take his hand off Yeosang so he could eat, they ate with their legs gently pressed together under the table. They all enjoyed their food.

Yunho led them to an arcade after they finished at the restaurant. They weren’t surprised.

Seonghwa noticed an incredibly cute cat plush in the claw machine. He wanted to try getting it, but he knew it would probably be better to wait until they were about to leave so he didn’t risk losing it. He decided if it was still there after then he would definitely try to win it.

They spent a bit more than an hour at the arcade before getting tired. Mingi and Yunho had played a lot of Dance Dance Revolution, while Yeosang and Seonghwa went their own ways to play whatever games they thought looked interesting, occasionally meeting each other at co-op and competitive games.

When Yunho texted him to meet up at the entrance, Seonghwa took a look at the claw machine once again. He saw the cat plush was gone. He sighed, meeting up with the others.

“Seonghwa.” Yeosang was smiling brightly, hands behind his back. “I got something for you.” He revealed the cat plush to Seonghwa, holding it out to him.

Seonghwa slowly took it. “Really? For me?”

Yeosang nodded. “You kept looking at it every time you went past the claw machine. I could tell you really wanted it.”

Seonghwa hugged him. “That’s so sweet of you.”

“Aww, how cute,” Mingi said from behind them.

Seonghwa let go, admiring the plush and then looking at Yeosang. “Yeah, I agree.”

As they walked back to the dorm, Seonghwa had the plush in one hand and Yeosang’s hand in the other.

\--

It was almost midnight, most of the members in their rooms either asleep or almost.

Yeosang and Seonghwa were not. They sat together on the couch, watching a random movie they picked out on Netflix. It looked like a romance. Seonghwa almost felt a bit flustered. He had his arm over Yeosang’s shoulders. Really, they didn’t care about the movie. They just wanted to be together.

They both stared at the screen. The plot was a bit confusing and sort of over the top, but neither of them mentioned it. Seonghwa worried if they stopped watching this movie and couldn’t find another one, Yeosang would just decide to go to bed and leave him alone with his thoughts. It wasn’t as if they were bad thoughts, he just wanted to see Yeosang while he thought of him.

The actor in the movie kissed someone. From what Seonghwa could tell, it wasn’t the main love interest. Still, it made his face heat up. Suddenly his brain was very loud about his desire to kiss Yeosang like that. Gently cupping his face, leaning in slowly, their lips touching, even if only for a second. He couldn’t turn to look at Yeosang, even though he could tell Yeosang was now looking at him.

Seonghwa could feel Yeosang’s gaze burn into the side of his head as he stared. What was going on in his brain? Could he tell what Seonghwa was thinking? What if he could and it made him uncomfortable? What if-

“I think I’m in love with you.”

Yeosang froze as soon as the words left his mouth. If Seonghwa wasn’t frozen before, he certainly was now.

Step eight, find out who Yeosang likes, complete.

“Oh my god, wait, I didn’t mean to say that out loud. I… I uh…”

Seonghwa finally turned to look at Yeosang. His face was red and there was a panicked look in his eyes. He was afraid his feelings wouldn’t be returned. Seonghwa could tell. He’d felt like that for almost two months now.

It was time for step nine, the final step in his plan.

He cupped Yeosang’s face with his hands, staring right into his eyes.

“Yeosang.” His voice was soft. “I love you.”

They both sat in silence for a moment, faces red, staring into each other’s eyes. It felt like time stopped. At least, until Yeosang leaned in. He got closer and closer… and stopped. Seonghwa couldn’t believe how close they were.

“Can we..?” Yeosang whispered.

Seonghwa answered him by closing the gap, pressing his lips against Yeosang’s so gently. He could feel all the emotions he had hidden being released.

They pulled apart slowly, both of them suddenly feeling so light and relaxed.

“Yeah,” Yeosang said, still speaking in a whisper. “I’m definitely in love with you.”

Seonghwa embraced him. He was overwhelmed with emotion, but it felt wonderful.

\--

Waking up the next morning, Seonghwa almost worried it was all a dream, but his fears left as soon as they came when he realized there was a weight on his chest. Opening his eyes, he saw Yeosang, asleep on his chest, cuddled up against him. They were still on the couch. He closed his eyes again, smiling to himself.

Step nine, tell Yeosang how he feels, the final step in his plan, complete at last.

**Author's Note:**

> thats right fellas im incredibly soft for yeosang  
> i went into this with as much of a plan as seonghwa so hopefully you enjoyed that
> 
> also my twitter is @pastel_yeo if you wanna follow me and scream about yeosang


End file.
